Asthma Complexities

George Schiffman, MD, FCCP

Dr. Schiffman received his B.S. degree with High Honors in biology from Hobart College in 1976. He then moved to Chicago where he studied biochemistry at the University of Illinois, Chicago Circle. He attended Rush Medical College where he received his M.D. degree in 1982 and was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. He completed his Internal Medicine internship and residency at the University of California, Irvine.

Jay W. Marks, MD

Jay W. Marks, MD, is a board-certified internist and gastroenterologist. He graduated from Yale University School of Medicine and trained in internal medicine and gastroenterology at UCLA/Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

Asthma complexities facts

Asthma can be mimicked by other conditions, such as heart failure, bronchitis, emphysema, bronchiectasis, bronchial obstruction, vocal-cord dysfunction, and hypersensitivity reactions.

Exercise is a common trigger for asthma and may cause symptoms in 80% to 90% of asthmatics.

Exercise-induced asthma is managed by choosing an appropriate sport, controlling the asthma prior to events, warming up, avoiding cold, stopping exercise during an asthma attack, cooling down after exercise, and preventing episodes with the use of inhalers and bronchodilators.

Some conditions can cause asthma to worsen, including GERD, allergic rhinitis, sinusitis, food allergies, and air pollution.

What do all of these individuals have in common? An active 13-year-old becomes breathless shortly after her soccer games and coughs on a cold winter's night. A young woman has a dry, hacking cough that has persisted for a year after her last "cold." A teenager sleeps poorly and is awakened early every morning with chest tightness and difficulty breathing. What these individuals have in common is the possibility that they all may have asthma.